BILLINGS MONTANA, August 27, 1999 -- Over the last five years there have been remarkable advances in our understanding and ability to treat learning disabilities, especially dyslexia. One of these advances appeared in 1997 in the form of a commercial product: Fast ForWord. This product was discussed in the Business Section of Time Magazine early in July 1999 and it is generating a lot of interest nationwide. The program was designed by scientists at Rutgers and University of California San Francisco to treat the most common sorts of learning disorders. Now a local business, The Learning Clinic, offers this program.

This truly is big news locally because of the very large numbers of individuals who have learning disorders. For example, it is estimated that 20% of all individuals have so much trouble learning to read that they prefer to avoid that activity. It is a problem that affects girls as much as boys, and it affects people from all economic backgrounds. Many very intelligent and successful people have this problem: Charles Schwab (of investment firm fame), Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. (publisher of The New York Times), and many other prominent business people.

Treating those who have been diagnosed with learning disorders costs our schools very large amounts of money: two to six times the amount it costs to educate a student who does not have disabilities. More of a problem: the majority of children who need help never receive it. The cost of services is one reason that most students do not get service, another is that traditional methods to identify the problem are crude and inaccurate. Also, traditional methods of treatment often do not address the causes of the disorder, so the person who is found to have a learning disability in third grade will probably need help for it for the rest of his life. Fast ForWord, on the other hand, directly treats the cause of the disorder, and treatment usually takes four to eight weeks. The gains made are permanent, so the person does not have to repeat Fast ForWord -- ever. Fast ForWord is very cost-effective, both in terms of money and time.

Fast ForWord is the first program that incorporates the most current understandings of the nature of learning disabilities, and harnesses the power of computers to treat them.

We have on staff the first person in our region (Montana and all of our neighboring states) to get training in how to use the program. Fast ForWord was made available commercially for the first time in March 1997, and Mark Taylor received his training in February 1997.

As a certified provider, Taylor's name was posted on the publisher's web page. Immediately after the posting, a flood of telephone calls from around the region, from as far away as Minnesota and Alaska, came in. Since that time, we have provided Fast ForWord to a number of children in the Billings area and we are currently providing the service to children in eastern Montana and northern Wyoming as well.

The Learning Clinic is a private corporation set up in Billings to provide diagnostic services and treatment for individuals who have learning disorders. Since the majority of people who have learning difficulties do not receive special education in public schools, there needs to be a private source for such help. At this time, we focus on providing treatment for children from age five to age fourteen, but we provide diagnostic services for all ages. Fast ForWord is proved to give significant benefit to individuals who have:

• dyslexia or a specific learning disability in reading
• central auditory processing disorder
• receptive language disorder
• pervasive developmental disorder (autism)

It is also recommended for individuals who have language problems due to a history of hearing impairment during the period of time that they would normally be learning fundamental language skills. For example, children who must rely on cochlear implants are likely to benefit substantially from Fast ForWord.

Scientific Learning Corporation, which publishes Fast ForWord, is working on a product for treating older adolescents and adults. We expect to provide that program as soon as it is released.

Personnel at the Learning Clinic are:

Mark Taylor -- Mark is a certified school psychologist and licensed clinical professional counselor. He is a past president of the Montana Association of School Psychologists as well as Montana's "School Psychologist of the Year" for 1997. He works full-time in public schools, as well as for the Learning Clinic. Mark has 19 years of professional experience working with children.

Rosanna Buehl -- Rosanna is a certified school psychologist who has specialized in treatment of learning disabilities and behavioral disorders. She works full time for the Learning Clinic and serves as a consultant to public schools in the region. She has 23 years of professional experience working with children.

We currently provide Fast ForWord at the PLUK office (516 North 32nd), as well as in the homes of individual clients when special arrangements can be made.